House of Horror
by Elillierose
Summary: In the middle of worrying about exams, Prompto has the idea to go to a treasure for the holiday. It takes some convincing, but the others decide to humor him. But, not long after arriving, the night is quickly turned into a game of life and death as patrons begin to meet their untimely demise.
1. Part 1

The two of them strolled down, the streets starting to thin out as most people were either already home or headed there. Prompto was skipping a little bit ahead of the other, his arms swinging at his sides. And, if Noctis was right about this, he sure seemed in a much higher spirits than he normally was. Which, wasn't saying much, but it was definitely noticeable. As he walked at a leisurely pace, his eyes followed the energetic movements of his blond companion. "What's got you in such a good mood?" he asked as the other grabbed onto a light post and spun around on it.

Pausing in the middle of his twirl, Prompto stared at him as if he grew a second head. "Dude, it's almost Halloween," he said, flatly. "You know what that means."

"No school?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

"Well, yeah, I guess. But also, events, scary things and all the cool stuff that comes with it," he spoke as if her were talking about a crush. He continued to spin around the post, his hand catching on something and causing it to crumple under his palm. It would have gone unaware, but the top half of it came loose as he hung down.

Curious, the blond hopped away from the metal pole and used his thumb and forefinger to raise the piece of paper back up. His lips pursed as he read over the flyer. As he glanced at it, the raven came up behind him to take a look for himself. "What is it?" he asked, unable to see well in this lighting from the distance he was at.

"Looks like some kind of attraction to me," he guessed, still taking it all in. "'Looking for a thrill this Halloween? Test your intelligence and wit in a Victorian style hunt. Use hints and find clues to track down the hidden fortune of the mansion's deceased owner'," he read aloud, voice growing more excited with each word he read. "And, it seems like it's an overnight thing, so it says to bring a bag to spend the night there."

Noctis folded his arms and stepped back. "Sounds kinda boring to me," he breathed out, completely uninterested.

"Are you kidding?!" the blond exclaimed, paper held tightly between his hands. "This is the kind of stuff I _live_ for. We have to go, you don't see this very often around here. Come on, it's only one night, and it won't be that bad," he pleaded, staring at the other with widened and bright blue eyes.

Groaning loudly, the raven rubbed the back of neck. "Do you really want to do this?" he asked, already giving in. The other didn't answer, he just continued to stare at him. "Alright, alright, fine, we can do it."

"Yes! Hey, do you think Gladio and Ignis would be interested in going as well? I mean, it doesn't seem like their thing, but it's been awhile since we all hung out. And, I'm sure they need a break from working all the time."

"Wouldn't hurt to ask," Noctis shrugged. "When is it though?"

Prompto looked back at the flyer, eyes flitting around in search. "Uhhhhh, tomorrow," he replied, looking back to the other expectantly. "That gives us time to get costumes," he muttered to himself.

The other swiveled his head in his direction at that. "...Costumes?" he repeated, making sure he heard right.

"Yeah, it's Victorian themed. You gotta dress the part to get into character and all that, You know, to make it feel more genuine," he beamed, folding it up and stuffing it in his pocket should he need it later. "If we hurry…" he thought, looking down as he went through the times things normally closed.

"If we hurry, we could get home before midnight," Noctis finished for him, feeling exhausted after the exams of that day. He really didn't feel like doing anything else until he got some much needed sleep. "We can go tomorrow, it's already late." He could see the slight droop in the other's shoulders, but he didn't protest against it; he was pretty tired himself, and the yawn he provided was proof of that.

Waving a hand, he turned to continue walking. "Yeah, you're right, I'll just message the others tonight and see if they're interested. Let them think it over tonight," he said, going along with it.

"Sounds good to me," he sounded relieved, glad he was fine with waiting. "We can go as soon as shops open though, alright?" Denying the guy anything he was this excited about was almost like kicking a puppy, you just don't do it. At this, he perked back up, the bounce returning to his step as he began humming to himself. All Noctis could do was shake his head and carry on.

* * *

And, sure enough, as soon as the sun was in the sky, Noctis' phone was going off, serving as an alarm clock, one that was not planned for. He didn't even need to check to see who it was; in fact, one peek through his blinds and he saw the blond hair pacing back and forth out in front of his apartment. "Are you serious," he groggily groaned, pressing his hands against his eyes.

He let the phone ring a couple more times before finally answering it. "Yeah?" he sighed, ready to listen to the other babble on for a moment. "Uh huh, yeah, I'll be down in a minute," he hung up in the middle of the other still talking and dropped the device on the bed. Plopping back down, he stared up at the ceiling and blinked heavily a few times. Groaning one last time, he built up the will to push himself up and sit on the edge of his bed.

Better to just go ahead and get this over with. The longer he waited, the harder this would be. Stretching a yawning, he forced himself onto his feet and swiftly got dressed, not caring how little his attire matched. Not like he was trying to impress anyone. Shoes on and hair at least a little bit pushed into place, he trudged out his door and down the stairs. Reaching Prompto, he was a little surprised to see him so well put together. For someone who wasn't a morning person, he sure looked like a morning bird.

"Hear back from the others yet?" he asked, voice still a tad croaky from having literally just woken up. He yawned again, the action bringing a couple of tears to his eyes

He should have assumed what the answer was just from the fact that he was still so full of life. "Uh huh, and it took a bit of convincing, but they're both for it," he chimed, giving an awkward thumbs up. "Now, I say we head by their workplace and see what kind of costumes they want for this, seeing as they have to work all day," he sighed, obviously not thrilled by that knowledge.

"And they're gonna trust you to pick them out?" he questioned amusement in his tone.

Prompto chewed on his lip for a moment, that couldn't be good. "Well, I didn't exactly tell them that part yet… But, I'm sure they'll be fine with it," he waved his hand erratically to brush it off. "It's just a costume."

Noctis raised an eyebrow, but he couldn't be bothered to care about it too much. If they didn't like this, it wasn't on him. "So, know where we're going?" he asked.

"For the costumes, I was thinking that new one that just opened down the road. As for the actual event, well, I've never heard of this address, but I'm sure Ignis wouldn't mind driving us there. He's better with directions and all that jazz."

The raven gave him a sly grin, "Oh, I see," he sighed, "you only wanted them to come along for a chauffeur."

Prompto froze and reddened, "That's not true at all. I really want them to go. I think we could all use a bit of fun." Noctis just laughed out how easy it was to get him all flustered. "But, I think it's some place right outside of town. I looked it up, and it looks like the real deal. Old creepy house that looks like it was owned by some old rich family." He pulled out his phone and pulled up the web page he had saved. "There it is," he held it out for the other to see.

Taking the phone, he gazed at the house, and he was right. It definitely had the looks for this type of gathering. It was freaking massive, and he really hoped they weren't intending on incorporating the entire building into this. If they were, this was going to be a long night. "This looks...huge," he settled on.

"I know, right, it's gonna be great. Never got to try anything like this growing up, so it's something I've always wanted to experience. Always heard stories of how fun and exciting they were. But…" he trailed off, shutting off the backlight and putting his phone away. "Anyway, let's hurry before the place gets crowded." He jogged ahead, "Last one there is a rotten egg," he called behind him, speeding up.

Shaking his head, the raven played along and charged after him. Like this, they sprinted all the way, all the way until they were leaned over and panting for breath just outside of the coffee shop. Once he felt as though he could breathe well enough, the blond peered inside, frantically waving a hand when he spotted the brute of a man leaning on the counter, looking overly interested in whatever it was he was reading. Behind him was their bespectacled friend, walking by as he jotted things down on his clipboard.

Igis had just been promoted to manager the other day, and already he was taking his new position quite seriously. He caught the movement out of the corner of his eyes and waved with a couple fingers. They took that as their queue to enter.

"Hey, what's up?" Prompto asked, bounding over to sit at one of the stools and placed his elbows on the counter to lean into them.

"Nothin," Gladio sighed, flipping the page, his eyes never left the book. "Just trying to get through the day," he breathed out, reaching for his cup of coffee.

Watching that, the brunet's eye twitched as Gladio took a long sip out of the cup with the store's logo on it. "I do hope you payed for that," he raised his eyebrows, only getting more frustrated, when all he got was a 'sure' and a flick of the wrist. "It's coming out of your paycheck then," he warned.

"Like it would make much of a difference," the larger man retorted, relishing in how the smallest things could get under the man's skin.

"Anyway," Prompto cut in before the 'argument' could go any further. "When I asked you guys about this thing tonight, I may have left out one teeny tiny detail." He winced when the both of them shot their focus towards them, finding a common enemy in that moment.

Gladio closed his book for the first time and leaned in closer. "And, what might that detail be?" he asked.

"Welllll, it happens to be an event that...requiresacostume," he blurted the last part under his breath and dropped his gaze. "Ok, hope you guys are still cool with it, Noct and I are gonna go pick some outfits up now. Alright see ya later." He couldn't even get out of his seat before his wrist was grabbed by the man.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" He had obviously caught every word of that, but he couldn't resist the temptation of watching the youngest of their group squirm for a second.

"It's a Victorian style thing, so costumes are required," he whispered, staring into those honeyed eyes. "Hope that doesn't make you lose interest." He looked from one to the other, searching for any signs of them backing out.

Sighing, Gladio released his hold and opened his book back up. "I guess that's fine," he shrugged. "Already made the plan, might as well carry through with it." With that, he was back to flipping through his book nonchalantly. Looking to Ignis, he was doing the same, and it was like he hadn't even heard it.

"So, anything in particular you guys want?" he asked. "Noct and I are about to head over. Speak now, or forever hold your peace."

Neither seemed too particular about it. "Whatever you find," Gladio answered for them. "It's only for the night, I don't plan on wearing it more that once." Prompto pursed his lips, a few ideas running through his head of the possibilities, but he shook them away. Nah, he couldn't do that, he'd try to find something they'd be ok with.

They bid their farewells, getting out of there just as the first few customers began to filter in. With everything else in place, the two of them headed on down the street, towards the costume shop. Again, they wanted to get there before the crowds could. From what they've heard, this was a pretty popular place, and they just hoped people hadn't bought the place out yet.

Lucky for them, most didn't seem too fond in the type of attire they were going for; the majority of the section even looked untouched. It didn't take long for them to pick out what they needed and make their purchases, neither wanted to be too picky, it wasn't the costumes that was the highlight of this night after all. Now, the only thing they had to do was wait, which was by far the worst part. Hours upon hours until the other two were off and it was about time to head off.

They all decided to meet up and Noctis' place, that being where they'd change into their costumes and get ready before heading out. Prompto was the first changed, unable to contain his excitement and practically ripping his clothes off in the process. Now he stood there in dress pants, a vest, and a paperboy hat. He took a moment to look at himself in the mirror, appearing to be rather satisfied with the look.

"Gonna go beg for some soup, Tiny Tim?" Gladio scoffed. The blond rolled his eyes and stepped away to drop himself on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, yeah, you're laughin' now, but just wait." The tone in his voice didn't bode well, and curious, Gladio pulled out the contents of his own bag and he stared daggers at the other. "Go on, let's see how it fits."

The brute gathered his things and stepped into the bathroom. A few minutes later a emerged wearing a striped shirt with suspenders. In one of his hands, he held a fake pair of glasses. "Are you serious?" he asked, shooting a questioning glance at the others. Prompto gave him a smile, and returning it, the larger man tossed the spectacles behind him. "You're already pushing it with the suspenders."

The brunet gave him a pointed look and narrowed his gaze. "Do you have something against glasses?" he asked, accusation in his words. He folded his arms as the other grumbled something under his breath and retrieved them to slip them on his face. "Better, I think they suit you."

Both Noctis and Ignis were already in their outfits. The latter looking like a spiffy butler of sorts while the other just looked like a man in formal attire, a top hat to pull it all together. "Before we go," Prompto pulled out his phone, and they all knew where this was going, a unified groan escaping all of them. "Say cheese!" he wrapped his arm around as many of them as he could and pulled them in. The moment they were all complying, he snapped the picture.

"Everyone ready to go?" the brunet asked, keys jingling in his hand. The rest of them filed behind him, and that was it, they were on their way. With their bags tossed into the trunk, all of them slipped into his car, seeing as he was the only one other than Gladio who had one, and out of the two the only one that was clean enough for them. Prompto read the address off to him, and he typed it into his GPS and they were ready to go.

Prompto could hardly contain himself. To think, he was finally able to do something like this. For a while, he was starting to think these sort of things were only done in the movies or were just a myth. But, as the mansion came into view, he was more ready than he had ever been for anything.

"Whoa…" he breathed out, unable to take his eyes off it. "It's even bigger in person."

"That's what she said," Gladio coughed out, earning an irritated look from Ignis. "What?" he asked, acting like he never said anything.

He pulled up next to a few other cars, assuming that's where he was meant to park. No one stopped him, so he assumed it was fine. He came to a stop, and everyone eagerly stepped out, the crisp autumn air fully waking them back up. It was about a thirty minute drive, long enough for at least one of them to start dozing off.

Grabbing their things from the trunk, they made sure they had everything they needed before Ignis locked up. "This it is," he sighed, switching his bag over to his other shoulder. Looking to the others, he made sure they were all ready to go through with this before they continued on.

Reaching the door, there was a man standing there, basket in hand. "Cell phones," he ordered, shaking the basket lightly. "This is the 1800's, no phones back then," he reminded. This got him a few sighs as the four of them obliged. They came this far, there was no point in arguing now. Noctis was the only one that was a bit reluctant, but he didn't want to spoil the experience, so he dropped his in as well.

Walking farther in, they dropped their luggage off in what looked to be a lounge, right next to where the belongings of others rested. Walking into the main hall, they were impressed with the sights of the place. There weren't a whole lot of people, most likely because there were other events going on that sounded more appealing to them. But, there was still a decent amount. All of them wearing the appropriate clothing for the time period.

"Guess we're just supposed to mingle until things can get started," Ignis said, readjusting his bow tie and walking forward.

"I'm actually going to have a look around," Prompto informed, walking past the main hall to head towards what he assumed to be a library or ballroom of sorts. Even this room broke off into more, and it wasn't long before he found himself exploring more of them. While he did this, Ignis took it upon himself to find the nearest exit, and not the front entrance. He just needed to get to a spot where he'd be able to have a quick smoke in peace.

Gladio and Noctis, on the other hand, jumped into the fray. "Hmm, the view here isn't too bad," he mumbled to himself. Curious, Noctis followed his gaze and scowled at what he was looking at.

"Really?" he asked, looking at the man with an incredulous glare. He was looking right at the back of a young woman, her hair cut short and barely reaching her shoulders. But, from what he could tell, she looked like she'd be attractive.

Walking over in the most casual way he could, Gladio placed his hand on her shoulder. "What's someone like yourself doing in a place like this?" he asked, voice coming out as smooth as butter.

Said woman spun around and familiarity mixed with confusion graced her features. The man paled a bit at realizing what he;d just done. "Gladdy?" she asked, the hand instantly drawing back as he nervously coughed out of humiliation. "Uh, what's with the…" she trailed off, pointing towards her own eyes and looking back at his. It took everything she had not to poke fun at just how out of place glasses looked on him.

"Hey, Iris," he chimed back up, trying desperately to play it off, "didn't expect to see ya here." He crossed his arms, leaning onto one leg and glancing around quickly. "Sorry," he said after a second of lingering awkwardness, "I didn't recognize you." It only made things worse when Noctis could no longer contain his amusement with the spectacle. "Shuddup," he groaned, giving the younger man a solid punch to the upper arm.

"Sorry, but, you just hit on your own sister," he spoke the obvious, swiping a tear from his eyes. "Oh, I wish I could have gotten that on camera, I'm sure the others would have loved to see that.

"Laugh all you want, but next time you come for your coffee, expect to find something a little extra." That didn't stop the jokes and laughs from coming, it was like it wasn't even a threat to the younger man. That only served to annoy the brute even further.

For a moment, Iris laughed along, finding the whole thing to be more hilarious than embarrassing, then again, she wasn't the one to make the mistake. "Hey, I have to go to the bathroom, so I'll be back in a bit," she said, walking off to hear them continuing their playful banter.

As Ignis was in search of a way out, he passed by a woman, one that took a step back and accidentally bumped into him, knocking him slightly off balance. "Oh, 'scuse me hun, I wasn't watchin' where I was goin'," she drawled out, reaching out a hand to pat him on the shoulder. "You alright?" From the sounds of it, she had to have been from farther south. Either that, or she was really good at putting on fake accents.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he assured, nodding and looking back into bright green eyes. Her curled blonde hair was tied back in a bun, a small rose adorned clip holding it in place. "I'm Ignis, and you are?" he asked, holding out his hand to shake hers.

"M'name's Cindy," she answered taking his hand and shaking it with strength that surprised him. Not to mention the calluses that decorated her hands.

Releasing his hold, he looked around again, "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know where I can get to a porch or something do you?" It might have been a weird thing ask after just meeting someone, but he was getting impatient.

She looked him over and noticed the way his hand was fiddling with something in his pocket. "Smoker, huh?" she asked knowingly. "I'll take ya to one, had to go there earlier myself fer the same thing. Come on, it's this way," she waved him along.

Meanwhile, Prompto was still wandering the halls, but he was still fairly close as he still heard the commotion from the other room. He made sure not to drift too far and risk getting lost. Because, from the looks of this place, that wasn't something that was difficult to do. One wrong turn and it felt like he was in another building altogether.

While he explored with limitation, his eyes noticed a figure pass by in the hall just up ahead, and then another followed suit, this one seemingly moving in a stalking manner. He couldn't make them out from here, they were moving too fast and they were too far away. His curiosity getting the best of him, he starts to walk after them, but something caused him to freeze on the spot, petrified from the sound, and he knew exactly what it was. It was a gunshot...and it was close.


	2. Part 2

His blood ran cold, was that real? This was just an event right, surely this was just part of the show. But...it sounded so real, the sound still rang in his ears. He couldn't risk staying there, he was separated, and he couldn't be caught alone. Once Prompto built up the courage, he took off towards the main hall, taking so many turns, so many he didn't remember taking. Did he really go that far from the others. And, now that he was listening, where were the sounds of them, there was no more bustling around; it was eerie.

What seemed like an eternity, he jogged through the arch leading to the main room, and everyone was looking around in shock. As he stood there and watched, he saw a few others join the crowd, others that had also been alone at the time. Ignis and some blonde woman, Gladio's sister, and another he didn't recognize. He had maroonish hair pulled back in a ponytail, his attire appearing to be a lot more showy than the rest.

From where he stood, he could make out a chorus of questions: 'What was that?' 'What's happening?' 'Was that a gunshot?' and other similar ones.

"Prompto!" he heard Noctis call out to him, and he tore himself from his momentary trance to rush over, his heart still thrumming against his ribs.

"Noct," he breathed out, "i-is everything alright? What the hell was that?" As he asked his own questions, the raven was gripping his upper arms, trying to get him to calm down. Eventually, the blond trailed off and looked into the other's concerned features. "Is everyone else ok?"

The other looked around, spotting Ignis returning with a woman, and soon after he found Gladio guiding his sister back after going after her. "Y-Yeah," he said in relief, "it looks like it. And you? Did anything happen to you?"

"I'm fine," he uttered, still shaken. "Please tell me that was part of this."

"It didn't sound like it," Ignis replied, walking up to stand next to them. "It sounded far too loud, and things shouldn't have started yet." He looked to the clock, the time showing that it wasn't six yet. "We should still have another ten minutes."

Prompto swallowed thickly, trying to get his composure back. "Then, w-we have to get out of here," he looked from one to the other. "We need to get out and call the cop-" he was cut off, the shrill sound of a scream echoing down the halls and into their current room. "What was that?" his bright eyes slowly trailed to gaze in the general direction, and others were already headed that way. That sounded real, that was for sure.

Without warning, the others began heading that way as well. "What are you guys doing? You never go towards the danger," he hissed between his teeth, deciding to follow after them out of fear of being left alone in this place again. "Guess I don't have a choice," he mumbled, quickly catching up to them.

Before their group could reach the source, they heard multiple people freaking out, talking amongst themselves, and even a few were pushing their way back through with hands over their mouths and faces pale as sheets. Eventually, the three of them made it forward, pushing through the front to let out a unified gasp.

"W-What?" Noctis stuttered, his stomach doing flips at the sight. It was a woman, a bullet wound in her chest as fresh blood continued to drain from her form.

Next to them, another woman dropped to her knees, her mouth agape in a silent cry. "L-Luna…" she stammered, inching forward with her hands hovering over the limp form. "Who…" she trailed off, her hands starting to shake and her features twisting. "Who's the bastard that did this?" she growled, back on her feet on and instant. Most people backed up at the rashness of her movement.

Slowly, someone else stepped forward, it was the extravagant man Prompto had seen earlier, and he was pretty calm considering. But, he was the only one trying to do anything in this situation as he draped an arm around her shoulders and lead her back into the crowd for someone else to take care of her. He went back to gaze over the body again.

"It appears whoever did this took the gun as well," he observed out loud.

"So, if we find that, then we find who did this?" someone from the back asked, looking from one person to another as he backed away, clearly not trusting a single soul here.

Slowly, everyone was starting to panic, some were doing the smart thing and rushing towards the entrance, not wanting to get involved in things more than they already were. Prompto was about to urge the others to do the same when they heard something else that spelled out dread to him.

"It's not opening!" a man called out, followed by a series of curses and bangs. "I-It won't budge! It's locked!" The blond's breaths were coming out quick and shallow, and he was sure he was on the verge of passing out or something, but a familiar face filled his view.

Noctis was staring straight at him, blocking the sight of the corpse only a few feet away. "Calm down, as long as everyone sticks together, things will be fine," he assured, getting a few quick nods from the other. Glancing to Ignis, he took the clue and together they worked their way towards the lounge. There, they saw Gladio and Iris already situated.

"What happened?" Gladio asked, only hearing bits and pieces from panicked partygoers. Ignis only shook his head, not wanting to go into detail about it. Luckily, the brute could figure it out from the chunks he heard. "Gotcha." he breathed out, tightening his arm around his younger sibling.

There moment of silence and peace was interrupted as more people began to fill in, the man from earlier seemingly leading them. "Search every bag!" he ordered. "We're not gonna let this son of a bitch get away with this!" It hadn't even been five minutes, and already people were falling into such disarray. Was it the body? Was it the fact that they were locked in? Probably the combination of both.

The five of them scooted over as a few people obeyed the command, wanting to stay out of their way to avoid any more problems than they already had. "This is really happening, isn't it?" Iris asked, staring down at the floor, where they had barely left since coming in here. Her hands were shaking, but she kept them clasped together in her lap to help keep them under control.

Gladio tightened his arm around her and pulled her closer, trying to give what little comfort he could. He opened his mouth to provide a few words of encouragement, but that same voice spoke up. "We found it!" he shouted, grabbing the whole bag and hauling it over.

Prompto stared at the luggage wide-eyed. "T-That's...That's impossible…" he stuttered, looking to the others as if they knew what the hell was going on.

"Who's bag is this?" he demanded, holding it high in the air and shaking it intensely. "WHO'S IS IT?" he shouted again, his composure deteriorating by the second. Glancing around, he settled on the blond, noticing the way those bright orbs were glued to it in fear. "Is it yours?" he asked, closing the gap. His gaze cut over to Noctis when he twitched, itching to stand up.

His friend sat there, still staring and unable to speak. Licking his lips, he looked from the bag to the guy, his mouth opening and closing in silent explanation. "T...The bag is, but….that," he pointed to the gun in his other hand. "That...I don't know how that got in there," he blurted out, voice trembling as he slowly got to his feet to step forward.

"Stay the hell back!" he bit, causing him to freeze on the spot with a slight jolt. "Then why is it in your bag?" he asked, but it was obvious he was beyond the point of listening.

Prompto looked to Noctis as if looking for the answer, and he stepped in now. "Look, the four of us came here together, I promise you, that's not his. I've never even seen it before. The others can tell you to-"

"He wasn't with us when it happened," someone in the back uttered, quickly earning the support of others as they nodded and agreed. "He wasn't there, I remember seeing him come back afterwards," they said louder now that they were more confident in their memory.

The suspect took a step back, his body barely wanting to cooperate as he couldn't believe what was happening, didn't want to believe. Why was there a gun in his bag? He didn't even own one of those. "S-Someone must've put it in there," he whispered, unable to get his voice any louder. "I don't know who, but…" They didn't take his eyes off him, they had already decided, and there was no chance of them changing their mind on this. Their hysteria was doing all the thinking for them.

Before he could turn to the others for more support, he felt hands grab him, multiple at that and they were trying to pull him away from them. It happened so fast, his friends didn't get the chance to stop them. Letting out a gasp, Prompto had to go along with it, there were too many of them and he couldn't fight it.

"Wait!" he cried, tone pitched, but no one was listening; he may as well have not been talking at all. His arms and shoulders were covered in grips, tight ones at that that had no intentions of releasing him. He struggled and kicked, but it was of no use, they weren't going to release him. By now, he could feel himself being dragged, no longer able to keep his feet underneath him as they went.

Behind all the noise of the group, Prompto could subtle make out the voices from the others as they called after them, trying to convince them that they were making a mistake. No one was phased by this though, no one cared enough to hear any of them out. He was hauled down a hall, one that felt like an eternity and he thought it would never end.

"Where are you taking me?" he questioned silently, knowing he wasn't going to get a reply; he'd be surprised if they had even heard him. Eventually, the hands left him, but he didn't have time to react before he heard the slamming of a door and what sounded to be a solid 'click'.

The blond was up in an instant, fists beating on the door. "No!" he screamed, ignoring how hard he was hitting the wood. If he damaged it, then so be it, he didn't care. "Let me out! I didn't do it! You have to believe me!" he shot his pleads off in rapid succession, each one followed by more pounds against the door. Of course, no one said a word, he could just hear their footsteps slowly fade away, leaving him to himself.

Breaths coming out in shallow pants, he continued to beat on the surface, the knocks growing quieter and weaker by the second until they ceased altogether. He was left staring blankly at it and dropped his head to lean against it. Turning slowly, he placed his back against it instead and gradually slid down until he was sitting on the floor.

"This isn't happening," he repeated to himself.

He wasn't sure how long he stayed there for, but it had to have been at least ten minutes, even though it felt like hours to him. All this time, he didn't move, what was the point, they locked him up, convinced that he was a murderer. He tapped the back of his skull against the door a few times, hoping the light blows would wake him from this hellish nightmare. He had to get out of here, he had to. If he stayed here, he'd be screwed. That's it, he'd get out and get help, get professionals here, people that could prove he didn't do it. That was the only way.

Shakily, he used the door as support to get back to his feet and wandered forward, looking around. Obviously the door was out of the question, there was no escaping that way. Then he spotted it. Of course, the window, he could have slapped himself for not instantly jumping to that. Prompto jogged over and gave it a couple of solid tugs, but it wouldn't budge. No surprise. He hummed to himself, looking for something to pry it open with.

He scanned the room in complete silence, quiet enough to hear breathing...breathing that wasn't his own. That familiar fear was gripping his chest again. "Hello?" he called out, pulse thrumming through his veins.

For a moment, he heard nothing, then the breathing picked up again, more stained than the first time. His heart clenched, but he couldn't ignore it, he had to know who it was, even though he saw no one. Then came the light thud and he finally noticed the wardrobe out of the corner of his eye. Swallowing thickly, he grabbed the first object his hand brushed over. Gripping the candlestick tightly in his right hand, he reached out with his left and stepped closer to the dresser.

Biting his lips, and hand shaking violently, he locked his eyes on the crack between its doors. He blinked a few times to clear his wavering vision and finally built up the courage to grab hold of one of the handles and squeezed it. Prompto took one last deep breath to mentally prepare himself, and swung the door open.

* * *

A few of the guests were distraught, for obvious reasons, crying, nearly sobbing, by the time they returned to the main room. Hell, some of them were still trying to convince themselves that all this was still just part of the show. But deep down, no one believed that to be fact. Someone, they weren't sure who, were at least respectful enough to shut and lock the doors around where Luna was, effectively cutting her off from the others. No one needed to see that again.

Everyone was shaken, hardly anyone could produce coherent sentences. And, there were some who just fell silent altogether. Noctis and the others hadn't bothered to move from where they were. They tried to stop them, to go after them, but every attempt was stopped in its tracks as they were held back, kept from going after their friend. And, it wasn't until the main group returned that they were free to move.

Noctis was staring though, straight at those who had first laid their hands on Prompto, and he was strolling towards them within seconds of them coming back. "Noct," Ignis warned, grabbing onto his wrist.

"Let me go, these bastards are wrong," he growled, yanking his wrist away.

The brunet allowed him to pull away, but that didn't stop him from trying to talk some sense into him. "And what's fighting them gonna do?" he asked. "It won't help anything, and it will only make this worse. If you resort to violence, do you really think that will improve their opinion on Prompto. They already think he did it, and to see that his friends are violent as well?" he let that hang in the air for a second, and he watched as the raven slowly stopped, his fists shaking at his side.

"What do you suppose we do then?" he asked. It wasn't from curiosity though, it was from spite. "If you can come up with something better, then I want to hear it."

Gladio stepped to stand in front of Ignis, his arm still around his sister as he refused to let her out of his immediate reach. "I know this looks bad, but he's right. And, as much as I'd like to knock their teeth out as well, it won't help, and it will only escalate the situation even more. Once things are sorted out, you can do whatever the hell you want. But, for now, try to control yourself."

The other took a deep breath and released it in a sort of growl, but he complied and forced himself to turn back around to face them. "Fine, but if they touch him in any way again, I'm ripping their fingers off one by one," he promised, folding his arms in determination.

Ignis gave the kid a small smile, satisfied that he was willing to wait for a little bit longer. His face swiftly faltered though, and his jade gaze drifted by Noctis who was also looking back now. Soon, all eyes were resting on the man who climbed up on the table, his hands outstretched in a manner that said he required everyone's attention.

"Who the hell are you?" one of the spectator's asked, already sounding fed up with the man's antics.

The mauve-haired man simply grinned at him and gave a small bow. "Not the greeting I was looking for, but I suppose it's a start." The way he spoke, it was like silk as the words weaved their way out of his mouth. "But, if you must know, my name is Ardyn. Now, I can't help but notice the...disarray we have here."

There were a few murmurs, but no one stepped forward, everyone was confused and desperately wanting someone to take the lead.

"Hmm, we do have quite the ordeal on our hands," he continued, piercing eyes drifting towards the door that contained the body. "And, in times such as these, we need to stick together, and people need to remain calm and keep a level head. Am I wrong?" he asked rhetorically. Ignis narrowed his eyes, something in him already not liking this guy. "I recommend we take a quick role-call, to you know, make sure no one else is missing," he suggested, his grin widening as the group began to frantically look over one another and calling out each other's names.


	3. Part 3

Prompto's hand shook, causing the door to rattle as he worked up the courage to keep going. The breathing was clear by now, he could almost feel the puffs of air down the back of his neck, causing the hairs to stand on end. Biting the inside of his lip, he shoved all his fears and concerns to the side and just went for it, pulling the door open in one go.

There wasn't a chance in the world he could have reacted to what came next, and he wasn't even sure what it was, but he felt a weight on him all of a sudden and he was forced to the ground by it. His weapon clattered to the side, effectively knocked from his hand. A silent cry escaped as the breath was knocked out of him, and he was almost pinned by whatever was on him. And, there was something else, something wet running over him, but he couldn't see what it was, it was too dark.

"H...Help," he heard the faint whisper and he stopped his struggles. They just spoke. Of course they did though, he did just hear breathing after all. But, for some reason, hearing actual words threw him off. "Help...me," they begged again, voice strained and wheezing. His pleas broke off as he let out a wet cough, more of the warm liquid hitting the blond's neck and face and running down.

Terrified and bewildered, Prompto started to work his way out from under this person, on the verge of panicking. It was difficult, the guy was practically dead weight and was in no way any help. Once he was free, he stumbled to his feet, almost tripping over himself to make it over to the light by the bed. Fumbling around for a bit, knocking a couple things off first, he flipped it on, his wide gaze instantly spotted the red that stained his hand, the same color that was now on the lamp.

"What the…" he uttered, realizing what it was and instantly trying to wipe the substance off on his vest, only to see more of it covering him, soaking through his clothes in erratic blotches. His breath hitched, catching in his throat, and he was sure he'd never get it started again. And, was it him, or was the room starting to spin?

"P-Please?" he heard behind him, snatching him from his moment of reverie. He sounded to be in agony, and it was probably more than he could tolerate just speaking.

"Right," he whispered, rushing back over. He dropped to his knees and turned the man over to his back, earning an agonized gasp as his various wounds were revealed. He was completely covered in lacerations, all of which had clearly missed any vital areas. Whoever did this wanted it to be a slow death, wanting him to bleed out. What kind of sick and twisted person… "Who are you?" he asked, unsure why that mattered right now. Maybe he was just desperate to focus on something other than the blood.

Stormy eyes trailed over to look into his brighter ones, and he held that for a moment before replying. "D-Dino," he stammered, letting his gaze travel back to the ceiling. A spasm ran through his body, causing a harsh flinch and a hiss of pain. "D-Dammit," he groaned between tightly clenched teeth.

The blond nodded along, trying to remember that name and store it in his mind. "Ok, alright, uh…" he racked his brain for something useful. "W-What happened, why are you...what's with all the cuts?" he had a hard time deciding what he should ask.

Another shuddering and pained exhale left the man, and it was obviously getting more difficult for him to breathe or even stay awake. "Stay with me," he whispered, looking over his shoulder and snatching the top cover off the bed. Pressing a part of it against what he suspected to be the worst of the injuries, he asked again, "What happened?"

Dino shook his head slowly, apparently foggy on the details himself. "I don- um, he had a knife…" he relayed, not getting anything useful out. "He...attacked. I-I couldn't...see-" he coughed again, wincing and flinching as the movement pulled on his multiple wounds. He went on for a bit more, only he was making less sense and none of his sentences seemed to fit together.

Prompto was getting nowhere with this. "Can you tell me who did this then?" he asked, hoping he would have a bit more information about that at least. Fortunately, the silver-haired man nodded, his eyes dimming the slightest amount as he took in as much air as was possible in his condition. He raises his hand as high as he can and waved for the other to lean down. The blond did as he asked, bringing his head down until his ear was right next to his mouth.

As he spoke, there were a couple words spoken, his heated breath brushed by his ear as his own mouth hung open in shock. He knew who that was, he remembered seeing that person. He was still out there. "Do you know his name?" he asked, getting louder than he intended to, but it didn't matter, the man didn't react.

Concerned, Prompto pulled his head away and stared down, there was no light left in his eyes. "Hey," he uttered, giving a small shake, "You still there?" He gave another jolt, a stronger one in hopes that it would pull him back. But, it was too late, the form went limp, his eyes staying open and gazing up at nothing.

He was gone, he managed to stay alive long enough to tell who killed him, but that was it. Hopefully it wasn't for nothing, now he knew for a fact that he had to get out of here; if nothing else, then he had to warn the others. Noctis and the others were still in there with the real killer, and he couldn't fathom what he would do if anything happened to any of them He wouldn't let that happen.

"Thank you," he nodded down at the still form and pushed himself up on his feet. Pulling the cover the rest of the way over, he draped it lightly over his body, not wanting to leave it in the open like that. He stared down at it for just a few seconds more before moving on. He'd have plenty of time later to think about this, later he could pay his respects.

Stepping around, he scooped his candlestick back up and brought it back with him over to the window. He was filled with determination now, there wasn't time to waste. Drawing his arm back, he swung forward with all the strength he had. A moment later, everything was drowned out by the sounds of shattering glass.

* * *

The group mingled together, forming a disorganized blob of disorientation. They asked for each other's names, the ones that came here together making sure their comrades were still here. People clung to one another, trying to avoid those they didn't know at the same time. Even though hey hoped they were safe, pretty certain they had the right guy, they were still skeptical of anyone and everyone they didn't personally know.

"This is ridiculous," Noctis observed, watching the bunch of them devolve into that of cornered animals. At this rate, he was sure it didn't matter who the culprit was, they'd all be the end of themselves. They were so ready to take down any they had to, and it was quickly looking more and more like a crazed witch hunt.

"They're not sure if it was really Prompto or not," Ignis said, brows knit together, and it was clear he was still upset about that was well, but he was holding it together. "When people are put in these situations, they don't think for themselves, they look for someone to follow. And, at the time, that man who found the gun seemed like the best choice. And, now that they have another stepping up to the plate, they aren't hesitating to walk behind him."

Gladio could only shake his head, disappointed. "They're a lost cause at this point, they've already lost all logical thinking," he sighed, glancing down at Iris as she also watched them fall into such a state. He couldn't imagine what this was like for her, she was probably the youngest one here. Everyone else appeared to be adults.

"This isn't going to end well," she muttered, never blinking and never taking her gaze off them. "It's going to get worse, isn't it?" No one answered, but that was answer enough for her. She unconsciously inched closer to her older brother, seeking comfort in his presence.

Her brother rested one heavy hand on her shoulder and gave it a solid squeeze. "Don't worry, we'll figure this out, and we'll get out of this one way or another." She didn't look convinced, then again, he didn't feel convinced himself, but he went on anyway. "Prompto too, we'll find a way to prove his innocence alright?" He looked down, staring at her until he could get her attention on him. Slowly, she turned to look into his eyes and he could see the deep fear they held.

She only nodded, slinking her hand to lie over his as her attention slowly began to drift away. Iris still didn't believe him, but she appreciated the effort and hoped for the best nonetheless. "Yeah," she mumbled, finally looking away to look at the floor instead. She couldn't watch them with that way they were acting anymore, it really was turning into a pack of wild animals.

"Dave?!" a single woman's voice shouted above the rest, sounding frightful and on the verge of tears. "Dave! He's not here!" she yelled again, the rest of the crowd dying down as her voice pulled everyone in. "Where is he? I can't find him."

From where they stood, they could see her, running around, going from person to person to check their faces, almost as if he were just hiding from her. "Has anyone seen him?" she asked, fighting back tears as she checked the features of another man. "We have to find him, he's here somewhere, we came here together and I don't see him." She went in circles, repeating the same way over and over, rewording the same concerns.

At first, no one reacted, they merely stood and watched. It was like, if it didn't concern them, then they weren't interested in helping; it had turned into an 'everyone for themselves' sort of situation. Realizing this, she backed away, looking to them like they're monsters. "I have to find him, with or without your help, I'm going to look for him.

As she tried to walk away, Ardyn stepped forward and grabbed a hold of her wrist, ignoring the way she tried to twist and pull away. "Let go! I have to find him!" she screamed, pulling hard enough to cause pain to her shoulder. "He's alone and he hasn't come back; there's no telling if anything happened! Please!"

"Calm down," he replied calmly, voice low and velvety. "I understand you're upset, but you can't go running off after him alone. Everyone needs to stick together until we can contact someone," he said, his tone reassuring and far too friendly to be normal. "How about we go and have a seat? We can get you a glass of water and we can discuss where you saw him last. How does that sound?"

The woman was hesitant, but she looked into his eyes, and without a word, she nodded. He gave her a soft smile, and in a very gentlemanlike manner, he guided her towards the lounge where he helped her ease into a seat. There, they fell into quiet and peaceful conversation, someone else busied themselves with fetching the glass of water for her.

The others picked up where they left off, making sure everyone was present. So far that made one that they knew of that was missing, but so far, everyone else seemed to be there. But, that didn't stop them from checking a few more times. Soon enough, they were calming down, still not enough to start listening to anyone, but just enough to hear the scream that came next. It was a man this time, and it was distant, almost inaudible. It was definitely there though.

"That's Dave," the woman muttered, slowly rising back to her feet. Her previous hysteria was gone, replaced by horrified shock. "That's him," she said louder, now starting to pick up her pace. Ardyn made no move to stop her this time, but he did follow after her, making sure to stay close behind. As did the others, wanting to do as they were told and stay together for safety in numbers, the rest of the crowd followed.

That meant Noctis and them couldn't stay behind either. As much as they would have prefered to do so, staying here with just the few of them wouldn't have looked good on their part. The fact that they were Prompto's friends already made them suspicious and untrusted. No reason to give them more of a reason.

They went up stairs, and without anything else to go off of, they just had to search, guessing where he could have been. The woman was still leading them, moving as if in a trance. Her pace was slow and precise, but she walked with purpose and navigated the halls with ease. Hall after hall, turn after turn, they wandered until her foot slipped on something. Glancing down, she let out a surprised and terrified scream.

She instantly stepped back and away from the puddle, leaving reddened footprints as she backed away. "Is that blood?" Someone behind her asked, and she felt sick, her legs were becoming heavy, and if it weren't for the mauve man, she would have collapsed on the spot.

"I think it's best for you to stay back," he suggested, then looked past her at a man behind her. "You, would you mind keeping an eye on her, and no matter what, don't let her go on, alright? If this happens to be…" he left it in the air, "then it's best that she doesn't bear witness to such things."

The guy nodded, and gently lead her away. She was reluctant in doing so, but the sight of so much blood kept her from fighting against him. "Come on," he encouraged, wrapping an arm around her waist for support. "We can go back downstairs if you want and wait there." She nodded, too distraught to be bothered to speak anymore.

In the back, Noctis and the others stepped aside to let them through, glancing at the paleness of her face and then the red trail she left behind. They faded more and more with every step until they disappeared altogether. Looking from one to the other, they began to push their way forward even more, but they were unable to make it any farther than about halfway. Fortunately, it was close enough to at least hear what was going on.

Ardyn waited until she was out of sight, and he looked to the others. "I have no idea what's on the other side of this door, but I think it's time for a fair warning. If you don't wish to see anything, then I suggest you join the others downstairs." A few took the advice, deciding they've seen enough for one night. They didn't need more things to have nightmares about. Once he gave all a chance to back out, he gave them a nod and wrapped elegant fingers around the crystal knob.

Holding his breath, Ardyn thrust it open and let out a shocked gasp. It wasn't long for a few others to step behind him, their shoes squeaking on the blood-covered wooden floor. But, what was beneath their feet was nothing compared to what lied before them.

"Is that him?" someone asked. A few more people jumped in, asking their own questions. 'What happened?' 'How did this happen?' 'Is he alright?' There were so many, a lot were lost beneath the others. Swiftly, the man held up a hand to silence them. Gradually, they settled down, ready to listen to whatever news he had to offer.

"It's the only person it can be," he replied. "We don't know who else is missing, but there could be more. He stepped over, careful not to step on anything or in anything. Blood was already spread everywhere, the red substance had trailed between the tiles and created a few smaller pools in various spots.

Crouching, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet. Quickly scanning it, he removed his hat to hold at his side. "It's him," he confirmed, handing the leather fold off behind him for someone to take. "If someone could please pass this on, I think it's best that she holds onto it."

Ardyn continued to look over the body, pulling the collar of his jacket far enough away to reveal the long and deep gash along his neck. Blood stained everything around the wound, his clothes soaking a good amount of it up. "His throat was slit," he announced, getting back to his feet and placing his hat back on his head. "I don't want a single person tell her what happened, all she needs to know, is he's gone. She doesn't need to hear how he went."

Looking back down at the body, he looked it over, listening as the group behind him again started to fall into discord and panic. He gazed down at the stains, then to the splatter that decorated the mirror to see his own reflection through the red. Brows furrowing, he spun on the spot, his coat tails flaring out with the dramatic movement, and he strolled to rejoin with the intensifying frenzy.


	4. Part 4

Those who were up front and seen the body up close were silent, staring at the lifeless form and letting it all soak in. This didn't make sense, they couldn't piece together how this could have happened. They stared in shock and confusion, the gears in their heads starting to turn and trying to make sense of things.

"How could this be?" one of them finally asked, his eyes locked onto Dave, his hands rubbing up and down his arms. "He's locked up, isn't he? How could he have done this? D-Did we get the wrong guy?" he asked, looking to Ardyn for answers. But, he had none.

Another woman spoke up, her tone heightened from her horror, "Do you think someone could have broken in? Maybe it was someone from the outside that did this," she offered.

"You fool, we're all from the outside," someone reminded. "For all we know, it could have been you, I don't remember seeing you down in the main hall when all this happened." He was in her face, staring her down as she shrunk away. "So, where were you then? Huh?" he basically spat in her face as he shot off questions.

"What?" she uttered, in complete disbelief. "I-I haven't done anything! I've been with the group this whole time. Maybe you're just trying to get the blame off yourself! I don't remember seeing you either."

Then others started to see the gravity as well, the topic changing from the fate of Dave to the possibility of the killer being among them. Before they could fall into alarm again, the mauve man help up his hands and beckoned them all to fall silent. There were a few more accusations exchanged before they slowly started to give him their shaken attention. "It appears as though we may have been wrong about the culprit," he admitted. "And, yes, that does mean that the murderer may still be among us. However, panicking and pointing fingers will not get the job done."

Ardyn folded his hands behind his back and strolled forward, stepping over the body on his way out and disturbing a few streams of blood. "But, first, we must release the boy from his confinement." He looked through the crowd, locking eyes with Noctis, then Ignis and Gladio last before looking away once again.

He pushed his way through the crowd until he was standing in the middle of them and he awaited to have their full attention. "We should get moving now, no need to stay here longer than we already have. We've found out what we needed to know, and crowding his body further would be rather disrespectful, I would think." With that, he spun around and headed down the hall, beckoning for the others to follow. Next, it was time to check on their 'prisoner'.

The four of them, though, stayed put. Staying when something didn't feel right about this whole thing. They couldn't quite figure out what it was, but Ignis had an idea as he stared at the body, jades narrowing as he began to study it and then the room. Something about the way that man wanted everyone ushered out so quickly didn't sit well with him either. Unable to dwell on things for the time being, they take off after the others, not wanting to be left behind.

However, the rest of the group was already back in the main hall, passing through to get to the other side where the bedrooms were. They were moving quickly, eager to get to the blond, but there were some that still had their doubts about his innocence, despite the evidence they were faced with. Still leading them, Ardyn stopped before the door, looking behind him and making sure everyone was still together, and if anyone got left behind, it was unnoticed by the vast majority.

Holding out his hand, he didn't need to speak for someone to hand him a key, the man whose room this was supposed to be handed it over. Inhaling deeply and gripping it tightly, he slipped the key into place and slowly turned it. Hearing the 'click', he pocketed it and carefully pushed the door open, the creak it produced contrasting with the sudden and eerie silence. There was a single light turned on, but that's not what they immediately saw. It was dim and uninviting as it served as the perfect highlight for the focal point.

"He got another," Ardyn whispered. The wardrobe was wide open as more red shaded the edges and trailed from it. Rushing in, he stepped in front of it, blocking it from the other. Pushing the door the rest of the way open and gliding in, making sure the others could get a clear view of the area. Another body. More blood. Another murder. While everyone's attention was drawn to the body, he subtly eased the doors shut, hiding the contents from any curious eyes.

A few of the others filtered in, only the ones that weren't as bothered by the fact that there was a dead body, covered up, but still clearly a body. Blood was still seeping into the fabric, gradually spreading through the blue hue. "Did he do this?" a man asked, nudging the body with his foot to find it was still limp, meaning not a lot of time had passed.

Curious, Ardyn stepped forward a bit more, a clear 'crunch' sounding out with another step. Looking down, he lifted his shoe as shards of glass jostled beneath it. Following the pieces, he smiled at the broken window. "Well, looks like it must have been him after all," he said loud enough for plenty to hear. "He must have escaped and re-entered through another point in the house."

"So, he's out there, and we have no idea where?" a woman asked from outside the room, standing just outside the entrance. "He's still the one doing all this?" There were more murmurs as the rest started to agree, falling back into the mindset of cornered animals. And, for some, as long as it got the blame and suspicion off them, they were willing to believe it was anyone else.

Ardyn looked to her and sadly nodded. "I'm afraid so, ma'am. But, as I have said, we should be safe so long as we stick together. I say we head back to the main hall and wait it out. We can't let this get to us." He glanced out the window, looking left and right to try and spot the kid, but no such luck. "He's long gone as far as we know, but if we see him again, we'll make sure he won't get away this time," he promised, getting quite a few agreements from the crowd.

This time, he didn't look back to make sure the others were following, he assumed they would though, with the fear they now held close and dear and the desperation they felt, there was no way in hell they'd allow themselves to be caught by themselves. And, with no one else to follow, they didn't have much choice if they wanted to get out of this alive. And, he was right, not a moment too soon, there were the cacophony of footsteps that fell into place after him, never letting him get too far away.

* * *

"It couldn't be him," Noctis mumbled, the four of them remaining behind to stare into what was once Prompto's cell. "I know it wasn't him; I've known him forever, he would never do this!" he declared, getting a few looks from a few more stragglers, but they kept their comments to themselves.

Ignis hummed his agreement, but he also stayed quiet. In fact, they noticed he'd been oddly quiet since they saw the body of Dave in the bathroom. He barely seemed there, constantly lost in thought, and they wondered if he even noticed that their friend was now missing. "We need to go back," he finally uttered after a moment. "We need to go back and check out that body."

"Are you insane?" Gladio asked. "He's dead, what more do you want to know?" He raised his eyebrow and gave the brunet a questionable look, figuring he must have some good reason for this. If it were just him, he would have been alright with it, but he had Iris with him, and anything that put her in danger, he was going to be skeptical about.

Placing his hand on his chin in thought, Ignis shook his head. "Something didn't seem right, I need to get a better look though." He didn't care of the others agreed or not, if it's what he thought, then this is what they needed. With or without them, he was going back up. Though, he assumed they'd tag along.

They waited until everyone was gone and out of the hallway, and looking to make sure there were no witnesses, Ignis waved them along, leading them in the opposite direction than the others had gone. "There has to be another way up, I don't want to be seen going there." He wasn't exactly sure where he was going, but these types of houses always had other ways of getting to places. And, it took some wandering and some searching, but eventually they came across another flight of stairs.

"I guess this would be it then," Noctis sighed, following the man up. His steps were carefully placed, afraid that the slightest noise produced would alert the others that they were no longer with them. They should have been far enough away that it wouldn't matter, but he just wanted to be sure.

As they reached the top, they took a second to stand and listen, waiting for any signs that they were being followed or that anyone was headed in their direction. Lucky for them, they managed to break away without notice, and they all let out a sigh of relief. "Let's find Dave," Ignis whispered, mostly to himself before carrying on their search.

It took far longer than they would have cared for, mostly due to them scuffling for most of the way. Walking normally, it could have taken half the time, but eventually, they came across a hallway that looked familiar. Sure enough, there was the pool of blood that had seeped out from under the door. No matter how many times they saw it, they'd never get used to it. While the two of them approached, Gladio and Iris stayed back, him not wanting his younger sibling to see something like that.

The brunet stepped in first, careful not to disturb much of the blood, but there was no avoiding all of it. Tiptoeing to the other side of the corpse, he crouched down, tightening his mouth and squinting his eyes as he drew closer. This wasn't how he was expecting to spend his evening, but here he was.

"There, you got to see it, now can we please go now?" Noctis asked in a hushed tone, continuously flicking his attention towards the hall. He didn't want to say it out loud, but his paranoia was flaring up and he expected to see someone strolling up at any moment now. But, the other didn't budge from his spot. "Ignis?" he called, guessing that he just wasn't heard.

The older man just held up a hand to tell him to have patience while he scanned the form over. Then it hit him, and he wondered how he didn't think about this earlier, why no one thought about this earlier. "Look at his neck," he instructed, pointing towards the slit.

"We already know what happened," the raven reminded, shuddering and avoiding looking directly at the gaping wound. "That Ardyn guy made that pretty clear the first time we were here." He felt chills run up and down his arms.

Ignis gave him a pointed look and shook his head. "That's not what I mean. Yes, that's how he died. But, tell me, have you ever heard a man who had his neck sliced scream?" His question was rhetorical, but the other felt the need to answer it anyway.

"Have you?" he shot back. "I've never heard a man scream like that at all, so how the hell should I know. It coul-" he paused mid-rant. "Oh," he dropped his argument, realizing what he was getting at now. "So, you're saying he didn't actually scream," he breathed out. "...I guess he couldn't have."

He nodded, glad they were on the same page now. "Precisely. And look at the amount of blood. Yes, you will bleed out rather quickly with a wound like that...but not that quickly. There's too much for the amount of time that passed before we got up here. So, even if he were to scream before the incident, it still wouldn't explain there being that much blood." He glanced up to see the paling in the other's face. "He's been here for a while, probably an hour at the very least. Remember, when we came across him, the blood wasn't flowing quickly anymore."

There was still one thing to check, and this was something he really didn't want to do, and that's why he saved it for last. Taking a deep breath and holding it, he reached out his hand and placed the back of it against the man's face. Ignoring his younger companion's disgusted protest, he kept his hand there for a moment more. "He's cold," he announced.

"I wonder why," Noctis hissed, "he probably has no blood left in his body." He gestured to the floor all around him to emphasize his point. "Of course he's not going to be warm." He wasn't usually this sarcastic or snippy, but something about being in the presence of a corpse was putting him a little on edge, and he wondered how the other could keep such a level head like this.

"True, but he's too cold for a man that _just_ died," he clarified. He would have been cold, but he was practically freezing to the touch. He pulled his hand away and inwardly cringed at the small smear of blood that was on it. Swiping it on his jacket, he looked back to the other to wage his reaction.

This was starting to make sense, and Noctis' veins were starting to feel frozen over. "Then what about the scream?" he uttered, none of this explaining where that had come from. His eyes looked to Dave, a slight sheen obscuring his vision slightly, then they trailed back up to meet jade. "Where did that noise come from then?" he didn't mean to raise his voice, but this was just getting to be too much.

The brunet thought about it, and it was still something he wasn't sure about himself. For all he knew, it could have been someone else, they didn't know what the man sounded like. Sure, that woman said it was his voice, but in the state she was in, it could have just been her mind warping it to match what she wanted to hear. As he stared down, eyes unfocused as he dwelled on this problem, the raven strolled passed him, no longer seeming to be bothered by this scene. He didn't say a word to him as he went by, but his curiosity did spike as the sounds of rummaging sounded out behind him.

"Noct, what are you doing?" he asked, eyebrow raised suspiciously as the man disregarded the overall tidiness of the room.

He hummed to acknowledge the question, but he didn't answer right away, too busy looking around for anything else that could be useful. Through cabinets, in nooks and crannies. And, as his hand ran along the top of the cupboards on the wall, his hand bumped something, knocking it off and causing it to clatter on the floor and land in a small pool of crimson.

Ignis was eyeing it instantly, greens growing in size as he recognized the object. Before Noctis could say anything, he was reaching for it and held in between his hands, turning it and inspecting it. "Are you sure you should be touching that?!" the raven asked, worried about the fingerprints.

"It doesn't matter, our DNA is already all over the place. As long as we don't touch any weapons, I think we'll be fine." Or, he hoped anyway. Taking the tape recorder, he stood up and fiddled with it for a moment before rewinding the tape back and his play. For a while nothing happened, minutes passed, and from what he could tell, almost the entire thing was filled with silence.

Then, out of nowhere, the beginning of a scream, a horrified and panicked one stared to sound out. The moment that noise blared, Ignis stopped it, his heart pounding painfully against his ribs. He expected that's what was on it, but to be right next to it this time and have it cry out in you ear made it so much worse. Switching it off, he prayed to himself that the others didn't hear it; it's already been proven that things can be heard from this room.

"Are you serious?" Noctis asked, eyeing the device. He glanced from the recorder to the corpse. "And they all think this was done just a little while ago?" His voice was just above a whisper.

Ignis nodded, taking a deep breath and stepping back over the body; they were done here now, they found what they needed. From what he could tell, he was dead before they had even gotten there. "We have to get this to the others," he breathed out, stating the obvious. "This is the proof we need. They still believe it was Prompto, and I bet you anything they are all on there on the verge of starting a mob to hunt him down." The sad part is, he wasn't even sure if that was an exaggeration anymore.


	5. Part 5

"What's going to happen?" they could hear someone sob. It would have sounded so out of place under other circumstances, but they were all dealing with the stress in their own ways, and no one could judge those who managed it by crying out. "Are we all going to die? We're going to be killed off one by one!" she continued to weep, her distress starting to rile up a few others. More sobbing filled the large room.

All the while, Ardyn just sat there at the table, his fingers tapping along the surface of the table, the sound of it unable to be heard over the chorus of fear. His intense gaze drifted to the clock, then to the people handling things in their own way, and back to the clock. The ticking of it seemed to take forever, his fingers slowly fell into sync with the hands.

He then looked to the corner, looking to the blonde woman perched there, the dress of the southerner resting elegantly upon her. And, his heart picked up as he saw someone approaching her out of the corner of his eye. The man reached out a hand to check and see if she was alright, but she didn't move, didn't acknowledge that he was there. Just as his hand drew closer, mere inches from her shoulder, Ardyn slammed a fist down and jumped up to his feet.

Immediately, all the eyes in the room shot to him, but they could only look at him for a single second before their world was thrust into darkness. All the lights dimmed out, nothing but pitch blackness surrounded them. They were dropped into chaos as everyone panicked. People bumped into one another and all civilized behavior had been forgotten in that moment. All that remained was instincts and the will to survive.

No one was sure how long this went on for, but it felt like an eternity. Forever lost in this void of fear and uncertainty and everyone was waiting for to be the next victim, praying that they weren't right about it. But, with the way things were going, anyone could be next, no one felt safe anymore, even if they were altogether like they were.

Then, just as suddenly, they flashed back on, causing everyone to freeze where they were. All the noise died down until all there was was heavy breathing and a few whimpers and weeps. Some dropped to sit where they were, at a complete loss and everything finally becoming too much for them to handle. And, there it was, that thing they were all so fearful of and the one thing none of them wanted to hear.

Another scream.

It was shrill and overflowing with unadulterated horror. All eyes were drawn to the source, an older woman, dropping to her knees as one hand was held over her mouth. It was now open in a silent cry and her free hand was pointing up, the appendage shaking near uncontrollably.

All eyes followed her petrified expression, and so many of them wondered how they hadn't seen this immediately. But, the sound it produced became deafening; the creak of the back and forth movement was enough to drive anyone insane. But, it was the cause of it that really set everyone off.

"W-What the hell?" someone stuttered, stepping back and losing their footing to fall backwards, but their eyes never left the swinging pendulum which hung from the chandelier. The body waved from one side to the other, giving off a squeaky sound as the rope rubbed against metal. "H-How?"

There was more screaming, more people trying to back away and pressing themselves against the outer walls, trying to put as much distance between them and the body as possible. No matter what, it still felt as though it was only a few feet away. And, no matter how far, they could feel those dulled green eyes staring right at them.

And her body, it had been stripped of her clothing, only her shorts and t-shirt remained. But, that didn't make sense. She was just there...in the corner, someone was even about to check on her. How did they kill her, stripped her and then hang her. It was impossible.

The man that had been approaching her froze and slowly rotated to look at her again, and his heart stopped...she was still there. She couldn't be in two places at once though. Again, he eased towards her, his hand still outstretched. No that he got closer, he could tell that her hair was different. Why he didn't realize that before was beyond him. Maybe he was too worked up and distracted to notice it.

"C-Cindy?" he called out, hand brushing by her face, and he instantly drew it back at the iciness of her skin. Gasping, he crouched down to get a better view of it as it was angled downward. Seeing it more clearly, his breath got caught in his throat...it wasn't her. Obviously it wasn't her, she was hanging in the middle of the room, but he had still hoped for a miracle.

"It's Luna," he breathed out, but it was loud enough for the surrounding people to hear. Which wasted no time in repeated what they heard louder for the rest to hear. Someone had changed their clothing, put Cindy's costume on her, but who had the time to do that? When did that happen? How could it have even happened with no one seeing it. Then again, when the thing with Dave happened, and then with Prompto missing, everyone was in a disarray. Anything could have gotten by them when they were on edge like that.

For a minute, no one spoke, no one knew what to say; they were stunned to put it lightly, and they didn't know what to make of this. "We have to get her down," someone begged. Whether it was out of respect for her, or the fact they couldn't bear to look at it anymore was unknown. But, they could all agree that they were done seeing it. Really paying attention though, her skin was unnaturally pale, and it was hard to say how long she had been dead for.

There were only a few brave volunteers that stepped up to fulfill the duty of lowered her from the ceiling. A few pairs of hands were just inches away, reluctantly reaching to grab a hold of her legs, but they were stopped in their tracks. There was another sound, one none of them expected. It sounded like shattering, like a window had been smashed to pieces. And, it was close. Far too close for comfort. If they had to guess, it was in the other room.

"What was that?" a man asked, taking an instinctive step back and away from where he thought the noise to come from. "What the hell was that?" He glanced to others, hoping someone had an answer. But no one did, they all knew just as much as he did, which was absolutely nothing.

Lucky for them, there was still one person willing to take the lead on this. "Stay calm," Ardyn spoke up, strolling up seemingly out of nowhere. No one even heard him get up. To be honest, it was almost scary just how silent the man could be sometimes. "I think we have a visitor," he purred, slowly moving forward towards the source.

"You think he's back?" a feminine voice asked "What does he want, hasn't he killed enough already?" her voice was pitched, no longer aware of just how hysterical she sounded. But she didn't care, they all just wanted this to be over with.

The mauve man nodded and held up a hand for them to stay as quiet as possible and started to wave them along. "Move quietly and keep your voices down," he instructed. "This is our chance to catch him again before he has the chance to do more harm." Keeping that in mind, the rest followed orders, willing to do what it took to put an end to this. Together, and eventually, they rounded the corner, entering the lounge once again. The lights were still off in this part, but the moonlight filtering in through the windows was enough to make things out.

"Careful," Ardyn warned, spotting shards of glass scattered along the floor. "There's broken glass everywhere. Keep an eye out too." He glanced around, they all did, but there was no one in sight. The room appeared to be completely empty. And, it had become clear that they had already missed him.

"We have to search for him, before he gets away," someone cried out, but still kept their tone down low enough. "We need to hurry," he was getting impatient, along with the others.

Ardyn was quick to calm him down before people could get all worked up again. "Now now, if you start a manhunt, it will do nothing but cause more panic. We need to be levelheaded about this. Do you understand?" He didn't look pleased about it, but he couldn't deny that he was right. Charging after a person that they didn't even know the location of was almost a death sentence.

"So what? We just let him get farther away? If we don't go now, he'll get away and kill more of us!" a woman exclaimed. "I say we go after him; it's all of us against him, what the hell is he gonna do against us? He doesn't stand a chance as long as we all go for him." There were a few agreements as well as a few going against that idea.

"You want us to go and step into some sort of trap he set up?" the guy retorted. "We've already seen what he's capable of...he's toying with us. This is nothing but a game to him!" his fists were balled at his sides. "If you want to go play hide and seek with a killer, then be my guest, but us smarter ones are going to stay out of i-"

"Shhh," Ardyn held up a single hand to silence them. "Did you guys hear that?" he asked, looking over his shoulder to give them a sly grin. "I don't think he's as far as we think." He slowly looked forward again and began walking deeper into the lounge, the broken glass crunching under his feet. More snapping followed after him as more glass was broken in their wake.

As their eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, they were able to make out more of the room. The glass was becoming easier to see, and there was something else they hadn't previously noticed. ...It was blood, and there was quite a bit of it, trailing off from where the window was crashed in. He was literally leading them to him without even meaning to.

He strolled forward, things were finally starting to get excited and he could hardly contain himself. "Come out come out wherever you are," he chimed out, voice echoing off the walls. "We just want to have a little chat, so don't be afraid." He went on a little more and stopped to listen again. "Ah, so that's where you're hiding," he whispered, the sound of labored and suppressed breathing reaching him. And, it was also where the trail had lead.

They rounded one more corner, and there he was. Prompto didn't even bother to hide, he was too tired to bother with that. "W-Wait," he stuttered breathlessly. But, they weren't willing to hear anything. One look at him was all the needed; he was covered in blood, it soaked his clothes and features. They couldn't see anything beyond that though.

"I-Is that Dino's blood?" someone whispered.

"And Dave's…" another chimed in, the woman the cried for him earlier. "You...son of a bitch!" she shouted, charging forward, but a few men held her back. "Let go of me!" she demanded, yanking and pulling against their hold. "He needs to pay for what he's done!"

"And, I promise, he will," Ardyn promised, strolling over to the wall to finally flick a light on. "He will." Now, the blond in all his glory was revealed, and the blood that coated him was even more obvious and bright. He was drenched and the floor around him was stained with the substance.

The younger man stared back at him as he stepped closer, but kept his distance. "So, what do you have to say to all these poor, innocent people?" he asked, forcing his voice to sound sympathetic towards them. "You've killed their loved ones, and here you are, asking them to wait."

"I didn't do it," he snarled stubbornly, his right hand gripping a particularly deep cut on his left forearm. "I know you probably don't believe me, and it looks bad, but I had _nothing_ to do with any of their deaths. Dino was already dead by the time I got there, and I don't even know who Dave is." He slowly shook his head, completely confused. They had locked him up, how could they still suspect him of killing more people? Did no one in this place think for themselves?

"I'm sure you didn't. Then tell me, why was there a gun found in your belongings?" Adyn asked, his voice condescending. "I supposed it just waltzed in there all on its own," he added, getting the support of the others, who at this point, were slowing getting closer.

Prompto shook his head, going to get on his feet, but fell right back down. He resorted to scooting farther back, all the way until he was back against the corner. "Look, I-I don't know how it got there, but it's not mine!" he replied. "Someone had to have put it there, but it wasn't be." It was no use, all their minds were made up, and they were almost on top of him now. Many of them were preparing to grab hold of him.

He was utterly terrified, with the way they were convinced, he couldn't be surprised if they intended to execute him on the spot. All he could do was hope for a miracle, because it was clear that explaining wasn't going to do a thing. As he looked at the pure fear on all their faces, the leader of them stepped before him and crouched down to get on eye level.

"I bet you have a million excuses thought up, but your little stories will do no good. The jig is up, we all know it was you, so if you don't have any real proof that you're innocent, then we'll just be-" he was cut off, another scream sounding off, coming from right behind them. But, it was oddly familiar.

"Remember this?" they turned at the new voice, they were bewildered. They had expected to see that man… Dave, back from the dead or something. But it was far from it. Noctis stood there, holding the tape recorder high in the air, high enough for all to see. "I wonder who's this could be," he said, looking up to the device. He rewinded it a few seconds and played it again.

The room seemed to frost over, no one moved, no one said a word. But, Adyn didn't falter under the revelation that his death had been tampered with, and that it wasn't like that first thought. "What difference does that make?" he asked, folding his arms and looking more than a little confident. "I can assure you, those aren't hard to use. Why, I bet anyone in this room knows how to use one.

"That's not what we're here about," Ignis spoke up, stepping up to stand next to the raven. "Most who are committing a crime of this degree would rather that the body wasn't found. Then why would they intentionally lead us to it.?"

The older man scoffed at his reasoning. "If he's killing people, he's clearly not in the right state of mind. Now, I suggest you drop this before you make more fools of yourselves.

The brunet narrowed his eyes and stepped forward without warning. "I have a question of my own," he stated, reaching an elegant hand to the cravat around the man's neck. "Why does this have blood on it? And it's splattered at that. Surely you couldn't have dirtied it just by crouching over a body. And even so, it wouldn't look like this."

A few murmurs were buzzing now, their stances shifting from angry and blood-thirsty to confused and lax. Their attention moving from the blond to Ardyn. "What is he talking about?" one of them asked, already knowing full well what they were hinting at.

Narrowing his eyes, the new suspect gave a sly grin. "It's obvious, it's from when I was questioning that godforsaken murderer over there." He jabbed a thumb back. "You can see him, look at how much blood is over him; why, even when he speaks some of it spits from his mouth," he shrugged. "It's just a speck, not nearly enough for a dead body."

"Then you won't mind removing your jacket," Ignis returned the expression, taking a step back and folded his arms in waiting. "If you have nothing to hide, then this shouldn't be a problem." Satisfaction filled him at the way the man squirmed under the scrutiny of the entire room. Being on the spot like this, he couldn't very well ignore the request. So, with disposition in his gaze, and never breaking eye contact with the brunet, he began removing the jacket.

There was a collective gasp as the article of clothing fell to the ground, revealing the stains that coated him, all of which appeared to be somewhat dry by now. "Are you happy now?" he asked, still not looking the least bit upset about this outcome. "Is this what you wanted? Do you feel better now?" he turned to face the crowd.

"I'm afraid I can't keep this up," he sighed, "but you all should have seen what I've seen. _Never_ have I seen so many desperate and pathetic people in my life. I probably could have convinced the lot of you to kill yourselves. It would have saved a lot of trouble, but I wanted to spice things up." He strolled past them, his arms swinging at his sides now. "What? What happened to all that rage and revenge you all had before? You were so ready to hang this man just a second ago, what changed?" He held his hands up in question.

"B-But why?" a woman sobbed, falling to her knees, she didn't know what to believe anymore. "What was the point in all this?!"

Ardyn just shrugged on shoulder and turned away. "Who doesn't love a good mystery?" he asked. "You should be thinking me, wasn't this much more exciting than some boring treasure hunt? Where was the thrill in that? _That_ is mere child's play compared to the real thing. But, I did wish it was able to go on for longer, I had so many more plans for the night. Oh well, I suppose it was fun while it lasted."

"This was all a game to you?!" Prompto asked, getting to his feet a little unsteadily. "They were all ready to kill me because of you! I had a man die on me? And, this is all you have to say? It was a thrill?!" He took a step forward and stumbled, luckily Noctis was already at his side and kept him on his feet.

"Prompto," he whispered, "leave this to us."

The blond smacked his hand away, "Get off me!" he shouted, walking over closer to Ardyn. He stood before him, staring into those gleaming orbs for a few seconds before, unpredictably, he raised his fist and swung with everything he had. The force was enough to knock him off his feet and he fell before the crowd.

Opening his eyes, their former leader looked up to see the masses staring back down. That vengeful spirit back in their faces, and he couldn't fight the smile that came with the delicious sight.

* * *

The sun was finally rising, this nightmare was finally over. As the five of them sat on the front step, each of them with their own blanket as they listened to more sirens in the distance. While Prompto had his cuts cleaned and taken care of, the others sat nearby, silent as they continued to process the events. Just a few yards away, they could make out Ardyn as he was practically shoved into the back of a police car.

"So," Prompto breathed out, shakily, "they're all really dead, huh? All four of them…" He took a deep breath and looked to each of them. "But, I need to know, did you guys ever think it was me. I mean, it had to have looked like it was." He looked down, starting to feel unnaturally tired now that all the adrenaline was wearing off.

"Are you insane?" Noctis asked, as if the question itself burned him. "I doubt you'd be capable of anything this sick. Last I checked, you could barely kill a spider without whining about it for a day."

"Not to mention I doubt you'd be smart enough," Gladio agreed, tone humorous. "But, no, none of us ever thought that. If you believe it, do you really think we would have found that recorder to begin with?" Ignis hummed and nodded from the other side, agreeing wholeheartedly with their reasoning.

Prompto let ot a relieved breath. "Yeah, don't know why I was so worried. Thanks," he nodded to the paramedic as he pulled his arm back to hold it against his chest and slowly lowered it to his lap. "And thanks, to you guys too. I probably would have been dead right now if it weren't for you guys.

"Don't mention it," the raven smiled at him, "And, I'll forgive you for dragging us here too, but on one condition. Next year, how about we just stay in, and watch movies or something. I think we've all had enough excitement for the rest of our lives."

The blond chuckled lightly at that request. "Sounds good to me, I think I've had my fill of this whole mystery house thing. You know, I never understood the big deal about them anyway." He returned the expression, "Next time I want to do something like this, make sure you knock some sense into me."

"Yeah, don't worry about that. If you ever do, I'll be sure to kill you myself."


End file.
